Apple releases a new update to fix video problem for mid 2010 MacBook Pro models. According to CNET, the new update specifically addresses OpenCL framework. OpenCL framework helps switching between main processors and graphic card’s processors to speed up various computing tasks. Graphic cards nowadays are come with powerful graphics processors, and OpenCL knows how to take advantage of graphics processors so the CPU won’t have to overwork.

So, if I’m correct, mid 2010 MacBook Pro models are using OpenCL framework which has a bug that throws Black Screen of Death whenever the switch between CPU and graphic processor occurs. This new update is addressing this very problem, and so users of mid 2010 MacBook Pro models should not have BSOD problem any longer. According to CNET, this new update also includes new graphic drivers for all of Apple’s supported GPUs. This is why it’s also important for users who use different models than the mid 2010 MacBook Pro to install this new update.

Personally, my mid 2010 MacBook Pro seems to work better and run way cooler now since I had installed this new update! It’s a relief to know it’s software and not hardware problem. Now, I can begin to trust Apple more. It was not a good feeling for me to have wait more than two months or so for this update to come out and address the BSOD problem for my mid 2010 MacBook Pro machine, but at long last Apple releases the update which affirms my belief that Apple does care! Let just hope this time the fix will be for real, because I won’t know for sure until my machine runs for couple weeks more.

To install the new update, you can click the Apple’s logo which locates on the topmost left corner of the screen, highlight Software Update and click on it to begin the installation process of the new update. You will be asked to enter an administrator account’s password. If you are using the administrator account to install the update, your Mac machine probably won’t ask you for your administrator account password. When finishing the installation of the update, your Mac machine will ask you to restart it. Just restart the machine to make sure the update is correctly applied. Good luck!

I just notice that to use Photo Stream for iCloud on Mac, you have to buy and upgrade to the latest iPhoto. The latest iPhoto is now at version 9.2. The previous iPhoto (i.e., iPhoto 2009) is of version 8.2. It’s quite a big download for the update of iPhoto 9.2. The download size is 762.06 MB.

Whoever owns a Mac should read this article “Mac OS X Lion flaw allows unauthorized password changes.” I’ve known for a long time that as long you have a physical access to Mac, you can boot into single user mode by doing a reboot and then holding down the command key + s combination, consequently allowing you or someone else who doesn’t need to know your password to become root at will. As root, you or someone can definitely change any user’s password, including the administrator’s password. Now, the flaw that the article I’d mentioned of provides an additional security flaw for Macs.

To mitigate the flaw that the article had mentioned of for Mac OS X Lion, Mac users should not create an account for strangers or allow guest account to be active, or the flaw will allow hackers to change administrator’s password at will. In addition to that, Mac users should not visit unsafe websites for now, because hackers can trick Mac users to download exploits that will exploit password change flaw — allowing hackers to change Mac users’ passwords at will when they finally have a remote backdoor to Mac machines. Lastly, it’s best for Mac users to activate Filevault 2. This way, only trusted users can unlock a Mac, and at the same time Filevault 2 protects a Mac from the security issue of having someone or a stranger to boot a Mac into single user mode, effectively disabling someone from becoming root at will.

Mac OS X Lion is very pretty on Macs, but it looks clumsy and ugly on iPhones. Hacker Timothy Elliot has created a look alike Lion theme to replace the default iOS theme for iPhones. To use the theme, you definitely have to do a jailbreak. With iOS 5 about to be released sooner than we think (I think), I don’t think it’s worth to go for a jailbreak so one can have Lion theme on iPhone. Nonetheless, if you have a love bug for Lion theme, who am I to stop you, right? Check out the video right after the break which demonstrates Lion theme on iPhone.

Update: OK, I spoke too soon about not getting black screen of death with Mac OS X Lion 10.7.1. In fact, I can now duplicate the black screen of death whenever I try to play a video with QuickTime player. Luckily, I had enabled my machine to auto reboot whenever a crash or black screen of death occur, or else I’d to do a hard boot which would be sucky sucky. So, the conclusion is that even with Mac OS X Lion latest update patch of 10.7.1., black screen of death is still a frequent occurrence.

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I hope I’m not speaking too soon about how my MacBook Pro seems to work OK after I’d updated to Mac OS 10.7.1. When Apple first released Mac OS 10.7 (i.e., Mac OS X Lion), my MacBook Pro appeared to be very unstable as it froze and crashed on me so often that I feared to even turn on the darn laptop. Mac OS 10.7.1 seemed to do the trick for me since I’d not experienced any freeze or crash even though I played heavily with Mission Control and Launchpad. Unfortunately, some people are still having black screen of death and freezes and crashes even though they had updated to Mac OS 10.7.1.

Perhaps, my decision of cleanly installed Snow Leopard, updated Snow Leopard to the latest software updates so updating to Lion would be smoother, updated to Lion, and updated Lion with latest software updates has made my MacBook Pro runs so stable now. People who are still experiencing black screen of death and freezes and crashes may want to try to back up their files and do what I’d done above to see if they can too have their Macs run smoother. For your information, you can also check out the very long discussion thread on how Mac OS Lion had randomly crashed so many MacBook Pros here; this specific discussion thread at Apple’s forum is now up to 60 page long.